Planetary Annihilation Raises The Bar For RTS

Are you one of those who believe that most RTS games have become stale and a direct clone of those that cam before? If so, Planetary Annihilation may be the new and innovative approach to RTS that we have all been waiting for. “There just aren’t that many quality original RTS games coming out.” Stated the developers at Uber Entertainment. “If you love to play games like Total Annihilation your options are pretty limited. This is where Planetary Annihilation comes in.”

[pullquote_right]It is meant to be a truly innovative spin on what RTS games can and should be.[/pullquote_right]

Most RTS games take place on a single map with no room to expand from there. Planetary Annihilation breaks free of the shackles of limitation and grants players with access to an entire galaxy to call their playground. These galaxies can range in size and feature a multitude of planets and meteors that also vary in mass. Each map differs from one to the next, creating a fresh slate for players to explore.

The overall goal in Planetary Annihilation is simple; annihilate the enemy by attacking and destroying their planets. This can be done by expanding one’s own kingdom to the various planets spread across the map. On each planet, players can mine valuable minerals, build a new base, or even turn a meteor into a massive doomsday device that turns planets into nothing more that an assortment of burning rubble. How to go about the battle is completely up to the players.

Each planet can be home of their own battles, mining operations, bases, etc. Uber Entertainment has made it a point in their development to provide players with the means of keep a close eye on all of their operations. To achieve this, the developers have created an easy interface that allows users to monitor all of their progress by using fancy features such as multiple windows and split interfaces.

Planetary Annihilation allows players to decide how epic their battles will be. Choose to either play a quick skirmish against the AI, or wage war in multiplayer with one other friend or up to 40 players in an all out battle for the galaxy. Being that some of the larger skirmishes may bear a heavy burden on an average gaming rig, Planetary Annihilation will employ a client-server model to take the load off and allows players to enjoy the game as it should be.

The game will grant players with the opportunity to create their own maps and planets which can be shared with the online community. The maps can range in size, expanding to the reaches of a solar system, or limited to a single planet. The developers will also include modding tools that will allow users to create their own units and game types. Players are also given the option to host their very own server with their own sets of rules and objectives.

To see this project become a reality, those at Uber Entertainment have created a Kickstarter Campaign to fund Planetary Annihilation. As of writing this, the campaign is rapidly approaching it’s goal of $900,000 with over $700,000 raised already. With 20 days left in the campaign, there is plenty of time for Uber Entertainment to reach their stretch goals. Once these goals are reached, they will award players with a number of additions to the finished game that include exciting features such as naval units, water planets, and gas giants.

It is hard not to be excited for the release of a game such as this. Even Minecraft creator, Markus “Notch” Persson has commented via Twitter saying “I have never been more excited… I can’t throw my money fast enough at them!” Pledging $20 will award one with the full game once it is released for the PC and MAC. Like other campaigns in Kickstarter, the various pledge tiers all come with their own added incentives.

About The Author

Corey Philipp has a love for indie games and enjoys sharing this through reviews of great, yet often little-known titles. He has a talent for watching the latest gaming trailers, reading between the lines, and telling you all there is to know about a game before the information is public.

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